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Régime de financement:

STREP - Specific Targeted Research Project

Objectif

The aim of this project is to produce non-destructive non-invasive image-based processing techniques to aid the historical analysis and examination of five significant Mediterranean collections of manuscripts (hosted by libraries and museums in Egypt, Jord an, Lebanon, Cyprus, and Israel). Digital images from the target manuscripts captured in colour visible, ultraviolet and monochrome infrared will be used to derive computational profiles of the ink and support (paper, papyrus, etc) used. The profiles will be based on the image properties of the materials exhibited due to either to the physical characteristics of their composition or to their manufacturing process. In particular we will use their photometric, 2D morphological and texture image characteristic s. The computational profiles augmented with historical information related to manufacture date and origin of the manuscripts and information on the scrivener will form a tool which: 1) Allow for in situ non-destructive non-invasive image-based analysis of manuscripts 2) Enable the classification of manuscript ink and supports. 3) Aid authentication and dating of manuscripts from the Mediterranean region by verifying the homogeneity of their inks and supports. 4) Enable the isolation, discrimination and ana lysis of faded or overlapping writings such as palimpsests. 5) Aid the restoration and storage of manuscripts. 6) Facilitate the historical cross-referencing of manuscripts found in the Mediterranean region. The final system following a test with undated m anuscripts from complementary collections found in Greece and southern Italy will be hosted on an XML-based online database accessible via the Internet. All historical information discovered during the project will be added to the database to aid future re searchers. The suitability of using the profiling techniques for examination of other types of artefacts will also be tested using a collection of religious icons stored in Jordan.